Maybe-weekly comic-book download: COMMENCE!
I've become something of a silly comic book nerd lately (I MEAN, IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED). Many people on my flist have mentioned that they're interested in getting into Western comics but just don't know where to start. This is a noble interest so, guess what? NEVER FEAR! CEPHIED VARIABLE IS HERE!
I was considering simply making a recs list complete with torrent links, but then decided that this method would be more convenient: once a week (or twice a week, or whenever I finish a write-up) I'm going to be posting a direct-download (Megaupload) rar. file of a comic series I feel is particularily exceptional along with a short synopsis/review/character profile post so no one's diving in blind. For variety's sake, I'm going to keep a pattern to this: DC, Marvel, misc. publisher, rinse and repeat
So, to start this off I was going to upload Runaways, which is my guess for a series that would be most uniformly enjoyed by my flist. HOWEVER, instead I decided to kick things off with something a little more predictable...
Flist- meet Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. Modern day Robin Hood, hard-travelling hero and the only (former) member of the Justice League to ever bring up starving children in Africa at a league meeting. He rants about facist fat cats, has the most adorable beard in the history of American comics and makes a pretty mean chili (I know! I made it!) He's quickly become my favorite comic book character. I like him more than Nightwing (D:). I even like him more that Gambit (D:!!!)although not much more than Gambit. I might even adore him more than I adore Princess Sally (SAY IT ISN'T SO!).
So what makes him so great? Well, a multitude of things including his first solo series which ran in the late 80's. Until Mike Grell wrote 'The Long Bow Hunters', Ollie had never actually had his own monthly book although he'd been in continuous publication since the late 40's (first in Adventure comics, then as a member of the JLA and finally in the Green Lantern/Green Arrow monthly). It was... different, to say the least, from what had been written about him before but, oh, I love every panel of it. ♥
I've split the series into three pieces, mostly to signify a change in writer but mostly to denote a change in the general tone of the comic.
MIKE GRELL'S RUN: 1-80
Mike Grell turned Ollie into something of an "urban hunter" dealing mostly with "small time" crime as compared to cosmic the problems his JLA buddies were dealing with. Ollie had no recurring villains, no colorful sociopaths and no extraterrestrial threats. Instead he took down rapists, serial killers, drug rings and tackled both the mob and international scandal. The series begins shortly after Oliver and his long-time girlfriend Dinah Lance (the Black Canary) move to Seattle.
Almost *all* of Grell's run is just plain fantastic. I mean- it's not *perfect*. He's a bit dodgy and hypocritical on the moral message of some of the stories (although this is not to be confused with *Ollie's* inherent hypocritical moments- those are intentional) and sometimes you get the feeling that the sex and violence are just there because Grell was pretty thrilled at having an "adult content" marker in the corner of each issue (though the sex is fine a lot of the time because Ollie and Dinah have a sincerely touching relationship) but all in all, it's good, down to earth stuff. And what I really love about it is that Ollie is such a *fuck up*, but he's still a hero.
What I mean is- this series was being published in the late 80's/early 90's. It was coming out at a time when people's perception of comic book heroes was generally shifting. Things had to be "dark and gritty". Being heroic wasn't "cool" anymore. It was the rise of the violent, anti-hero. Grell's Green Arrow run managed to be *honestly* gritty. As in- when I read this series, it's what I imagine life would be like for someone who actually decided to dedicate their life to fighting crime. Ollie's not trying to save the world- he's trying to fight social injustice in the only way he can. He can't really hold a job, his relationship is often on the rocks, he screws up ALL THE FUCKING TIME, even to the extent of killing people. He goes through stages of depression, alcoholism and generally has kind of shitty judgement a lot. HOWEVER, at the end of the day, he's basically just a guy trying his best to live up to his *own* moral standards. In the end- despite all his bad decisions- he is still a *hero*.
Also, I must note that it's a very atypical DC book in that no "real" superheros ever appear in it until shortly before Ollie's death in issue #100 (DON'T WORRY, NO ONE STAYS DEAD IN COMICS! :D) In fact, the only cape to appear in the first eighty issues was Hal (which is to be expected what with him being Ollie's BFF and all), who appeared out of costume. Dinah (who is, in fact, The Black Canary) doesn't really count since she rarely fights crime within the context of the series. This is something a lot of readers seemed to complain about back during the comic's original run (srsly- every letter in those back pages bitched about it), however it's kind of understandable since she was co-running the Justice League at the time (... and running her own business all while trying to support her dead-beat boyfriend).
Mike Grell's run ends at issue #80, at which point the series is hauled violently back into mainstream DCU.
ALL THE WEIRD IN-BETWEEN STUFF: 81-100
Most of these issues are not great. Understandable, since they were written by several different people. Also, it was the 90's, so suck was pretty much par for the course in most comics. Anyways, eventually Chuck Dixon takes over and makes everything bearable, so it's not *that* bad. Also, a few fun things happen within these nineteen issues: Connor Hawke is introduced, Hal is really crazy and Ollie blows up all over Superman's favorite suit! Yaay!
THE CONNOR AND EDDIE SHOW: 101-137
After Ollie's death, Chuck Dixon found his groove and made GA into a good comic again. He managed to do so by incorporating BOTH Grell's gritty "true crime" style story-telling and all the zany adventure inherent in superhero comics. There's... maybe two arcs in the entirety of this run that I don't like, and both of those were only two issues long. The rest of this is pure gold, if not for the story-telling itself, for the character interaction.
Connor takes up the mantle of the Green Arrow despite having recieved very little parental acknowledgement from Ollie before his death. Out of some weird sense of obligation, Eddie decides to look after Connor and the two get all mis-matched, adoringly snarky, buddy cop at each other while they travel the world having grand adventures. And saving Connor's monastery a lot. And fighting Dinosaurs.
Although I don't love these issues like I love the Mike Grell run, I'd still draw sparkles and hearts all around this title and *wish* that it had actually gone on longer. The writing is snappy, the action is *actually* exciting, the mysteries are mysterious and I just love, love, love Connor. He's a "hero replacement" done right. He's also a "long lost son" done right. He's ALSO a "naive buddhist monk" done right. That's a lot of right in one very handsome package! Connor is just so inflappable, composed and certain of himself as an induvidual that it's honestly *refreshing* considering how jittery, angst-ridden and unsure 99.9% of young heroes seem to be.
Also! Eddie! ♥
Not even the occasional presence of Kyle Rayner can ruin these comics! :D
REBIRTH AND STUFF
Finally, I've included the first sixty or so issues of the current GA run. Why? Well- because some of this is really fantastic. A lot of it is the exact opposite. The first two arcs are written by Kevin Smith (yes, yes- *that* Kevin Smith) and are, in my opinion, two of the finest Green Arrow stories ever written. And one of the best superhero ressurections in either DC or Marvel. Afterwards, Bard Meltzer does a decent six issue arc and the writing chores are finally passed off to Judd Winick.
Who I hate. Passionately. But who nevertheless manages to spit out an endearing issues once in a while (Mia and Ollie trying to buy the Arrow-car over e-bay; Roy dragging Connor to a strip club, ect.)
Not my favorite incarnation of the Green Arrow, but hey- it's there if you want it! ^__^
RECURRING CHARACTERS
OLIVER QUEEN:
A rich kid born into a corporate family, one day Ollie got drunk, fell off a boat and was marooned on an island where he learned how to survive by his own wits. When he finally got home he decided to take up crime fighting as a regular hobby because he was a bored, bored rich guy.
Then he got caught behind enemy lines in a war torn country and decided to be a crusader for human rights. He gave up his fortune and began fighting for the common man as a true Robin Hood. Oliver's a strongly opinionated, liberal minded, hot headed hippie who doesn't know when to shut up or back down. Despite having no super powers to speak of and a bad habit of pissing everyone off, he's still surprisingly well respected in the superhero community. And he's got an adorable beard. ♥
DINAH LANCE:
The second Black Canary, Dinah took up the mantle once her famous mother (co-founder of the JSA) retired. She's been fighting crime since she was a teenager and dating Ollie since she was nineteen (or something like that- DC fails at keeping people's ages consistant). One of the most professional vigilantes in the DCU, she doesn't even bother to keep a secret identity. She runs a flower shop, has had a hand in running past incarnations of the Justice League and eventually becomes a government sanctioned crime fighter. All in all, Dinah is pretty awesome. (see Birds of Prey)
CONNOR HAWKE:
Ollie's first illegitimate child, Connor spent much of his childhood in a Buddhist monastery. As a result, he's all zen and at peace and good at martial arts and stuff. His entire character arc is pretty much covered between GA issues #96-137, so I won't bother going into it here.
In the current GA run, he magically became white, which makes him much less pretty. D:
He has also been the subject of an ongoing debate regarding his sexuality for the past decade. I couldn't tell you why, though: a handsome young man rejects all advances from the opposite sex and lives in an apartment in San Fransisco with another man for several years and EVERYONE asks if they're gay. Geeze.
EDDIE FYERS:
An ex-CIA assassin/odd job man/bad ass type thing that Ollie's been trying to shake off for years. And by that, I mean they're great friends! In the sort of "Eddie would kill him for the right price and Ollie really wishes he could punch Eddie's face in sometimes" kind of way. But really- they know each other so well by the end of the series it's pretty adorable. ♥
Eddie is totally awesome. And despite his complex and disturbing moral system (OR LACK THEREOF), he is inexplicably fond of and devoted to Connor. o_O
SHADO:
Raised by the Yakuza to be some kind of awesome arrow-based assassin, ShadoRAPED OLLIE WTF crosses paths with Ollie many times, often resulting in wacky (and violent!) hijinks AND RAPE. Shado is an interesting character, and her and Ollie's relationship is one of the more ambigious ones in the series.
ROY HARPER
Ollie's sidekick back in the days when he was rich. Roy was raised on a Navajo reserve, which obviously explains why he's such an awesome archer or something. Anyways, about the time Oliver went on that famous road trip with Hal, Roy got hooked on heroin. Ollie's response to this was to beat him up and throw him out on the street because he's an awesome Dad. Hal and Dinah (and Robin, apparently) helped Roy through detox because they're like his moms.
Then Roy went out and knocked up the Super Villain Cheshire. Also, he got shot in the chest about sixteen times. He's worked with Checkmate, the government and the Outsiders before finally being given Ollie's old spot on the Justice League. He doesn't show up in GA comics often enough, and usually when he does he needs to be rescued.
Mostly he's just a really broken guy who pretends he's okay by smiling too much. And a really awesome single father. ♥
MIA DEARDEN:
The second Speedy, Ollie only let her have the job when she was diagnosed as being HIV positive.
Suck on that, Batman. Oliver Queen pwns your parenting skills anyday!
HAL JORDAN:
Hal is the first Green Lantern of Sector 2814. He's an adorable, morally upstanding, mid-western boy with lots of repressed issues and a father complex the size of something really big. He once went insane and tried to rewrite the universe, which was kind of sweet of him except for the mass murderer part.
He loves Ollie a lot. Although he rarely appears in the series, his love for Ollie is incredibly important at several junctures in the story. Also, it's occasionally kind of creepy ("OH, OLLIE. WHAT IF I TOTALLY RESURRECT YOU AND STUFF?" "No wayz Hal, being dead rocks!" "... oh. Well. Uh... I kind of .... alreadydidit. Ha ha.").
Hal's kind of extremely lame.
DOWNLOAD
Mike Grell's Run
WTF Run
The Connor and Eddie Show
Rebirth and Stuff
I was considering simply making a recs list complete with torrent links, but then decided that this method would be more convenient: once a week (or twice a week, or whenever I finish a write-up) I'm going to be posting a direct-download (Megaupload) rar. file of a comic series I feel is particularily exceptional along with a short synopsis/review/character profile post so no one's diving in blind. For variety's sake, I'm going to keep a pattern to this: DC, Marvel, misc. publisher, rinse and repeat
So, to start this off I was going to upload Runaways, which is my guess for a series that would be most uniformly enjoyed by my flist. HOWEVER, instead I decided to kick things off with something a little more predictable...
Flist- meet Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. Modern day Robin Hood, hard-travelling hero and the only (former) member of the Justice League to ever bring up starving children in Africa at a league meeting. He rants about facist fat cats, has the most adorable beard in the history of American comics and makes a pretty mean chili (I know! I made it!) He's quickly become my favorite comic book character. I like him more than Nightwing (D:). I even like him more that Gambit (D:!!!)
So what makes him so great? Well, a multitude of things including his first solo series which ran in the late 80's. Until Mike Grell wrote 'The Long Bow Hunters', Ollie had never actually had his own monthly book although he'd been in continuous publication since the late 40's (first in Adventure comics, then as a member of the JLA and finally in the Green Lantern/Green Arrow monthly). It was... different, to say the least, from what had been written about him before but, oh, I love every panel of it. ♥
I've split the series into three pieces, mostly to signify a change in writer but mostly to denote a change in the general tone of the comic.
MIKE GRELL'S RUN: 1-80
Mike Grell turned Ollie into something of an "urban hunter" dealing mostly with "small time" crime as compared to cosmic the problems his JLA buddies were dealing with. Ollie had no recurring villains, no colorful sociopaths and no extraterrestrial threats. Instead he took down rapists, serial killers, drug rings and tackled both the mob and international scandal. The series begins shortly after Oliver and his long-time girlfriend Dinah Lance (the Black Canary) move to Seattle.
Almost *all* of Grell's run is just plain fantastic. I mean- it's not *perfect*. He's a bit dodgy and hypocritical on the moral message of some of the stories (although this is not to be confused with *Ollie's* inherent hypocritical moments- those are intentional) and sometimes you get the feeling that the sex and violence are just there because Grell was pretty thrilled at having an "adult content" marker in the corner of each issue (though the sex is fine a lot of the time because Ollie and Dinah have a sincerely touching relationship) but all in all, it's good, down to earth stuff. And what I really love about it is that Ollie is such a *fuck up*, but he's still a hero.
What I mean is- this series was being published in the late 80's/early 90's. It was coming out at a time when people's perception of comic book heroes was generally shifting. Things had to be "dark and gritty". Being heroic wasn't "cool" anymore. It was the rise of the violent, anti-hero. Grell's Green Arrow run managed to be *honestly* gritty. As in- when I read this series, it's what I imagine life would be like for someone who actually decided to dedicate their life to fighting crime. Ollie's not trying to save the world- he's trying to fight social injustice in the only way he can. He can't really hold a job, his relationship is often on the rocks, he screws up ALL THE FUCKING TIME, even to the extent of killing people. He goes through stages of depression, alcoholism and generally has kind of shitty judgement a lot. HOWEVER, at the end of the day, he's basically just a guy trying his best to live up to his *own* moral standards. In the end- despite all his bad decisions- he is still a *hero*.
Also, I must note that it's a very atypical DC book in that no "real" superheros ever appear in it until shortly before Ollie's death in issue #100 (DON'T WORRY, NO ONE STAYS DEAD IN COMICS! :D) In fact, the only cape to appear in the first eighty issues was Hal (which is to be expected what with him being Ollie's BFF and all), who appeared out of costume. Dinah (who is, in fact, The Black Canary) doesn't really count since she rarely fights crime within the context of the series. This is something a lot of readers seemed to complain about back during the comic's original run (srsly- every letter in those back pages bitched about it), however it's kind of understandable since she was co-running the Justice League at the time (... and running her own business all while trying to support her dead-beat boyfriend).
Mike Grell's run ends at issue #80, at which point the series is hauled violently back into mainstream DCU.
ALL THE WEIRD IN-BETWEEN STUFF: 81-100
Most of these issues are not great. Understandable, since they were written by several different people. Also, it was the 90's, so suck was pretty much par for the course in most comics. Anyways, eventually Chuck Dixon takes over and makes everything bearable, so it's not *that* bad. Also, a few fun things happen within these nineteen issues: Connor Hawke is introduced, Hal is really crazy and Ollie blows up all over Superman's favorite suit! Yaay!
THE CONNOR AND EDDIE SHOW: 101-137
After Ollie's death, Chuck Dixon found his groove and made GA into a good comic again. He managed to do so by incorporating BOTH Grell's gritty "true crime" style story-telling and all the zany adventure inherent in superhero comics. There's... maybe two arcs in the entirety of this run that I don't like, and both of those were only two issues long. The rest of this is pure gold, if not for the story-telling itself, for the character interaction.
Connor takes up the mantle of the Green Arrow despite having recieved very little parental acknowledgement from Ollie before his death. Out of some weird sense of obligation, Eddie decides to look after Connor and the two get all mis-matched, adoringly snarky, buddy cop at each other while they travel the world having grand adventures. And saving Connor's monastery a lot. And fighting Dinosaurs.
Although I don't love these issues like I love the Mike Grell run, I'd still draw sparkles and hearts all around this title and *wish* that it had actually gone on longer. The writing is snappy, the action is *actually* exciting, the mysteries are mysterious and I just love, love, love Connor. He's a "hero replacement" done right. He's also a "long lost son" done right. He's ALSO a "naive buddhist monk" done right. That's a lot of right in one very handsome package! Connor is just so inflappable, composed and certain of himself as an induvidual that it's honestly *refreshing* considering how jittery, angst-ridden and unsure 99.9% of young heroes seem to be.
Not even the occasional presence of Kyle Rayner can ruin these comics! :D
REBIRTH AND STUFF
Finally, I've included the first sixty or so issues of the current GA run. Why? Well- because some of this is really fantastic. A lot of it is the exact opposite. The first two arcs are written by Kevin Smith (yes, yes- *that* Kevin Smith) and are, in my opinion, two of the finest Green Arrow stories ever written. And one of the best superhero ressurections in either DC or Marvel. Afterwards, Bard Meltzer does a decent six issue arc and the writing chores are finally passed off to Judd Winick.
Who I hate. Passionately. But who nevertheless manages to spit out an endearing issues once in a while (Mia and Ollie trying to buy the Arrow-car over e-bay; Roy dragging Connor to a strip club, ect.)
Not my favorite incarnation of the Green Arrow, but hey- it's there if you want it! ^__^
RECURRING CHARACTERS
OLIVER QUEEN:
A rich kid born into a corporate family, one day Ollie got drunk, fell off a boat and was marooned on an island where he learned how to survive by his own wits. When he finally got home he decided to take up crime fighting as a regular hobby because he was a bored, bored rich guy.
Then he got caught behind enemy lines in a war torn country and decided to be a crusader for human rights. He gave up his fortune and began fighting for the common man as a true Robin Hood. Oliver's a strongly opinionated, liberal minded, hot headed hippie who doesn't know when to shut up or back down. Despite having no super powers to speak of and a bad habit of pissing everyone off, he's still surprisingly well respected in the superhero community. And he's got an adorable beard. ♥
DINAH LANCE:
The second Black Canary, Dinah took up the mantle once her famous mother (co-founder of the JSA) retired. She's been fighting crime since she was a teenager and dating Ollie since she was nineteen (or something like that- DC fails at keeping people's ages consistant). One of the most professional vigilantes in the DCU, she doesn't even bother to keep a secret identity. She runs a flower shop, has had a hand in running past incarnations of the Justice League and eventually becomes a government sanctioned crime fighter. All in all, Dinah is pretty awesome. (see Birds of Prey)
CONNOR HAWKE:
Ollie's first illegitimate child, Connor spent much of his childhood in a Buddhist monastery. As a result, he's all zen and at peace and good at martial arts and stuff. His entire character arc is pretty much covered between GA issues #96-137, so I won't bother going into it here.
In the current GA run, he magically became white, which makes him much less pretty. D:
He has also been the subject of an ongoing debate regarding his sexuality for the past decade. I couldn't tell you why, though: a handsome young man rejects all advances from the opposite sex and lives in an apartment in San Fransisco with another man for several years and EVERYONE asks if they're gay. Geeze.
EDDIE FYERS:
An ex-CIA assassin/odd job man/bad ass type thing that Ollie's been trying to shake off for years. And by that, I mean they're great friends! In the sort of "Eddie would kill him for the right price and Ollie really wishes he could punch Eddie's face in sometimes" kind of way. But really- they know each other so well by the end of the series it's pretty adorable. ♥
Eddie is totally awesome. And despite his complex and disturbing moral system (OR LACK THEREOF), he is inexplicably fond of and devoted to Connor. o_O
SHADO:
Raised by the Yakuza to be some kind of awesome arrow-based assassin, Shado
ROY HARPER
Ollie's sidekick back in the days when he was rich. Roy was raised on a Navajo reserve, which obviously explains why he's such an awesome archer or something. Anyways, about the time Oliver went on that famous road trip with Hal, Roy got hooked on heroin. Ollie's response to this was to beat him up and throw him out on the street because he's an awesome Dad. Hal and Dinah (and Robin, apparently) helped Roy through detox because they're like his moms.
Then Roy went out and knocked up the Super Villain Cheshire. Also, he got shot in the chest about sixteen times. He's worked with Checkmate, the government and the Outsiders before finally being given Ollie's old spot on the Justice League. He doesn't show up in GA comics often enough, and usually when he does he needs to be rescued.
Mostly he's just a really broken guy who pretends he's okay by smiling too much. And a really awesome single father. ♥
MIA DEARDEN:
The second Speedy, Ollie only let her have the job when she was diagnosed as being HIV positive.
Suck on that, Batman. Oliver Queen pwns your parenting skills anyday!
HAL JORDAN:
Hal is the first Green Lantern of Sector 2814. He's an adorable, morally upstanding, mid-western boy with lots of repressed issues and a father complex the size of something really big. He once went insane and tried to rewrite the universe, which was kind of sweet of him except for the mass murderer part.
He loves Ollie a lot. Although he rarely appears in the series, his love for Ollie is incredibly important at several junctures in the story. Also, it's occasionally kind of creepy ("OH, OLLIE. WHAT IF I TOTALLY RESURRECT YOU AND STUFF?" "No wayz Hal, being dead rocks!" "... oh. Well. Uh... I kind of .... alreadydidit. Ha ha.").
Hal's kind of extremely lame.
DOWNLOAD
Mike Grell's Run
WTF Run
The Connor and Eddie Show
Rebirth and Stuff
NEXT: Runaways
easiest to read with CDisplay